The field of the invention is fiber optic connectors.
Fiber optic connectors serve an increasingly important role in the light waveguide network as the network expands from the central distribution office towards the subscriber. Connectors allow portions of the network to be reconfigured quickly as conditions change. Connectors are also used in distribution boxes holding multiple connectors so that rerouting can occur at a single location.
Problems which can occur during manufacture of fiber optic connectors include the possible unseating of an optical fiber during heat curing of adhesive within a connector. Current design approaches also call for assembly of the entire connector in one operation, which can cause the entire operation to be delayed during curing of a connector batch.
Therefore, it is believed that the art would be advanced by a connector preassembly which can be assembled separately from the production process using the actual light waveguides, and which further includes means for reliable seating of the light waveguide during curing of the connector adhesive.